140R4026Q0048_Q_A_(4_24_26)_0003.docx

140R4026Q0048 – BGNDRF Research Internet Upgrade Page 2 of 2

Post Site Visit Questions and Answers

1. Who will be responsible for providing and paying for the internet service (ISP)?

Government Response:

This solicitation includes installing the fiberoptic line (CLIN10) and providing internet service (CLINs 20-30 Item 1 in the Price Schedule).

2. Should we coordinate directly with Tularosa Basin Communications / CenturyLink (Lumen), or will you handle service activation?

Government Response:

This is the vendor’s responsibility. See A.1 in the principal components of work in the SOW.

3. Can you provide drawings of the facility?

Government Response:

Relevant drawings were included with the Site Visit Synopsis.

4. Are there preferred manufacturers for the networking equipment?

Government Response:

No, however, the vendor should explain why certain equipment was chosen. The equipment must meet procurement requirements described in the solicitation.

5. Is ongoing technical support required after installation? If so, what is the expected response time?

Government Response:

Yes. One of the items required in vendors’ technical responses is to describe their approach for network support.

6. Should the monthly service include monitoring and troubleshooting?

Government Response:

This should be included in the technical approach.

7. Are there warranty duration requirements?

Government Response:

Yes. See A.6 in the principal components of work in the SOW.

8. Who is responsible for equipment replacement in case of failure?

Government Response:

This is something vendors should describe as part of their terms. If the equipment is leased, provide those terms. If the equipment is purchased directly, provide those terms.

9. Do you have a floor plan for the building/buildings and all required Wi-Fi coverage are that can be shared?

Government Response:

This was provided as part of the site visit summary.

10. What is the total square footage or dimensions of all Wi-Fi coverage area?

Government Response:

Please use the provided drawings to calculate the square footage. Indoor WiFi coverage needs to be provided for the test bays, laboratory, lobby and rooms 102-107. If the cost is reasonable, providing WiFi coverage to rooms 111-119 would be helpful. Outdoor coverage needs to be to all exterior concrete research pads and the inverters. The distance for each of these is approximately 200 ft (using the existing exterior modem as the starting point).

11. What is the existing equipment of this network, do you have any firewall or require one for this implementation, what OEM and model, any desired product manufacturer?

Government Response:

The existing WiFi network consists of a Century Link modem and three wireless access points (two inside the building and one outside). The modem is connected directly to a switch that connects to Rooms 102-107 using a patch panel. There is not a stated preference for equipment, however, the vendor should explain why certain equipment was chosen. The equipment must meet procurement requirements described in the solicitation.

12. Do you want a total refresh of existing equipment, would you list existing equipment to be retained?

Government Response:

The vendor must provide their solution to replace what exists on site. The SOW summarizes the status of the WiFi.

13. Is there any special application support that needs to be noted?

Government Response:

There are no known special applications other than providing an option for static IP addresses if requested (See 3.0 Objectives in the SOW).

14. Is this network supporting IoT devices like printers, cameras, thermostats, etc.?

Government Response:

Printers are a possibility in the test bays and rooms 102-106. Cameras may be used by research clients in the indoor test bays and outdoor test pads.

15. Do you require any particular brand of Wi-Fi equipment, like access points, switches, router, etc.?

Government Response:

There is not a stated preference for equipment, however, the vendor should explain why certain equipment was chosen. The equipment must meet procurement requirements described in the solicitation.

16. Do you require monitoring for the Wi-Fi network, and what options do you expect to view on the interface, example AP online/offline, active clients, per/client bandwidth, etc.?

Government Response:

There is no requirement for monitoring or an interface.

17. Do you require a separate network SSID for the researchers and visitors?

Government Response:

We currently have three SSIDs: BOR-EAST, BOR-WEST, and BOR-EXT. Those (or something similar) will suffice for this contract. We do not need to differentiate between researchers and visitors.

18. How many ethernet ports are existing, do you need more ethernet wired ports?

Government Response:

The SOW indicates that we are requesting a 24-port switch. We have an existing patch panel that connects to the various office ethernet ports.

19. Do you have requirement for support response expectation, example 24-hour or faster on site down issues?

Government Response:

This is something vendors should describe as part of their terms. Vendors should base their technical approach on standard commercial practices.

20. Do you require content filtering and user access tracking?

Government Response:

No.

21. Do you require a firm fixed price for this project, else what is your project expectation budget?

Government Response:

This is a firm fixed price requirement.

22. What vendor(s) provides and resells the existing Internet DSL connection?

Government Response:

The existing DSL connection is provided by Century Link.

23. What is the existing internet DSL download speed and upload speed?

Government Response:

We are paying for “7M Broadband” service. As described in the SOW, the current system has not been fully functional for more than six months, so testing the speed is not presently possible.

24. Is the requirement for 1 gbps symmetrical (1 gbps down and 1 gbps up)? Site is on-net for Lumen which offers direct internet access at 10 mbps, 50 mbps and 1 gbps.

Government Response:

Yes.

25. Is the requirement for dedicated internet access or shared internet access.

Government Response:

This is shared internet access with the occasional need for a static IP for certain clients.

26. Is there a requirement for back up internet access such as AT&T Internet Air for Business?

Government Response:

No.

27. What service level is expected in terms of availability and packet loss, latency, and jitter, i.e. 99.999% availability with less than 1% packet loss, less than 30 ms latency, and less than 10 ms jitter?

Government Response:

We are seeking industry-standard commercial performance for fiber‑optic internet service. Responders are welcome to propose the availability, packet loss, latency, and jitter levels associated with their commercial fiber‑optic service offerings in their technical narrative.

28. What is the existing ethernet cabling in terms of Category 3, Category 5, Category 5e, or Category 6 and or single or multi mode fiber?

Government Response:

The Government does not have verified information on the existing cable. Vendors should base their technical approach on standard commercial practices and propose any assumptions regarding cabling type within their technical narrative. The Government is not requesting replacement or modification of existing internal network cabling

29. What ethernet switch speeds are supported by existing switches and WiFi access points?

Government Response:

The Government does not have verified information on the existing switch or Wi‑Fi access point speeds. Since the requirement does not involve modifying or integrating with internal network hardware, vendors should propose their solution based on standard commercial practices and clearly state any assumptions regarding supported speeds in their technical narrative.

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